Harvester



UNITED STAT-*1:84

PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUELA D. BATES, OF LEWISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,526, dated August 24, 1880.

Application filed December 8, 1879.

To alt whom it may concern:-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL D. BATES, of Lewisburg, inthe county of Union and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harvesters; and I do hereby declare lthe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved material for the grain-platforms of harvesters and an improvement vin the construction of the same.

It has been long known that it was a matter of great importance `that the grain-platforms of harvesters should be so constructed that their upper surfaces should be as nearly perfectly smooth aspossible, in order that the teeth ofthe rakes, `as they move over the platform, should not in their lmovements be caught or interfered with by any irregularities of surface. When the platforms have been constructed of wood the boards which are employed have been joined together by some one or another of the various species of joints. Frm the action of heat and moisture upon such platforms great irregularities of surface are produced at the parts where the pieces of, which hthe platform is composed are joined, the boards tending to warp and bend on t-he lines of their joints.

It has been attempted to construct from sheet metal harvester-platforms that should overcome these obstaclesthat is to say, platforms which should have smooth upper surfaces and be without joints i-n the path of the rakes; but these have been found impracticable and have been abandoned, for while the sheet metal overcomes the unevenncss of the platform of the harvester it at the same time so greatly increases the Weight that it is practically worthless for this purpose.

I have succeeded in preserving` the necessary lightness, durability7 and strength of the platform, and in constructing it so that it shall have no joints or irregularities of surface in the path of the rakes, by making it of paper properly prepared to resist the action of the elements.

This invention also pertains to an improved combinationand location of gearing devices for transmitting rotary motion from the main carrying and driving wheel of a one-wheeled harvester to the raking apparatus. In this respect it consists in combining substantially the following,elements-viz., a main frame, upon which the driving-gear is mounted; a quadrantplate arranged to vibrate about the axis of the carrying and driving wheel; a pinion or driving shaft which is mounted upon the main frame, and about whose aXis the main frame is hinged to the quadrant-plate; a `tubular standard which supports the raking apparatus; a vertical shaft mounted in said tubular standard to operate the rakes; a bevel spur-wheel at the lower end of said shaft; a horizontal shaft mounted in the rake-standard on a line parallel with the pinion or driving shaft; a bevel-pinion upon said horizontal shaft meshing with the bevel-wheel on the vertical shaft; a spur-gear wheel upon the horizontal shaft in the raking-standard; a spurgear pinion on the platform end of the pinion or driving shaft; a spur-gear wheel which is mounted between the spur-pinion on the pinion or driving shaft and the spur-wheel on the horizontal shaft in the rake-standard, and which converts the motion of the pinion on the driving-shaft into an opposite motion of the spur-wheel mounted in the rake-standard, whereby the rakes are operated with a steady and uniform motion.

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved harvester. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the gearing and shaft for driving the rakes. Fig. 3 is a view of the gearing and the casing surrounding the same.

rIhe machine, in the construction of the draftframe, the main frame, the cutter-frame, the drivers seat, and the means for connecting the main frame and cutter-frame to the driving and carrying wheel, is substantially similar to that shown and described in another division of this application for patent for harvesters for which a patent, No. 219,795, was granted on the 23d of September, 1879. Therefore the said parts need not be here described in detail.

The main frame is composed of an outside bar near the driving-wheel, an inside bar, A, near the platform and cutting apparatus, a front bar, A', and a rear bar, A2.

B represents the finger-beam of the cutting apparatus, attached at the outer end to the divider C, which parts may be of any desired construction.

D is the grain-platform, constructed in the form of a quadrant, and provided with the side D', projecting or turned vertically upward from the base or bottom part.

E represents one of the rake-heads attached to the arm E', pivoted to the rake-head E2, which is attached to the upper end of a vertical shaft lnounted in the tubular standard I". The rakes are revolved aboutthe vertical shaft in such manner that they traverse the quadrant-platform in the well-known manner.

e e represent teeth attached to the revolving rake-heads E, which traverse the upper surface of the platform when the rake is in operation.

If theplatform D be so constructed that there shall be upon its upper surface any projections or irregularities, the teeth e will be caught thereby and seriously interfere with the proper operations of the rake; and itis necessary,in order that the platform should not interfere thus with the rake, to make it either of a material which shall require no joints in the path of the rake, or which (if the platform be made with joints) shall not be acted upon by heat, moisture, or other warping and bending agencies.

I have succeeded in overcoming the diiculties that have heretofore been met with in the manufacture of harvesterplatforms in these respects by constructing them of paper so arranged that there shall be no joints in the path of the rake to interfere with its movements. |Ihe paper for this purpose is either formed from pulp of the proper thickness or from sheets secured together, and when properly shaped it is treated by any of the wellknown methods of protecting paper and similar substances from the deteriorating effects of heat and moisture. The paper when thus prepared ai'ords the strength necessary for a platform. The platform is very durable, much lighter than when made of the ordinary materials now used, and can be manufactured at much less cost. Moreover, the side or flange D can be formed in one and the same piece with the base or bottom part, D.

I am aware that paper has been applied to many uses--such as the manufacture of boats, the sides and dash-boards of carriages, &c.- and therefore I do not wish to be understood to claim such application of paper as my invention; but I believe that l am the rst to have succeeded in constructing a harvester grainplatform in such manner that it should be lighter and cheaper than those constructed of wood, and as strong and durable, and at the same time having no joints or irregularities of surface to interfere with the teeth of the rake.

G represents the pinion or driving shaft mounted 011 the main frame on aline substantially at right angles to the plane of rotation of the carrying and driving wheel II, and the main frame is hinged to the quadrant I about the axis of this shaft G. The quadrant or supporting plate I is supported upon the axle of the drive-wheel, and is arranged to support the shaft G, as shown in Fig. 3, and as fully shown and described in detail in the other aforesaid divisioii of this application, for which the said Letters Iatent No. 217,495 were granted.

K is a horizontal shaft mounted in the rakestandard on aline substantially parallel to the pinion-shaft G.

F is a bevel-wheel attached to the lower end ofthe shaft which rotates the rakes, and which is mounted in the tubular standard F. \Vhee1 F is rotated by a bevel-pinion mounted on the shaft K.

K is a spur-gear wheel rigidly attached to the shaft K at its outer end.

G is a spur-gear pinion rigidly attached to the shaft G at the end next to the platform.

L is a spur-gearwheel mountedinabracket, l, attached to the main frame between the pinion GJ and the spur-wheel K.

The shaft G is rotated by a driving-gear wheel, h, attached to the carrying-wheel H and engaging with the pinion g. The shaft G is arranged to be driven by an outer gear, as shown, and thus is operated with the advantages that are known to be incidentto an outergear driving-wheel in contradistinction to one whose driving-teeth project inwardly.

N is the casing around the gearing'.

YVhen the power is thus taken from anouter gear-wheel the pinion G cannot be permitted to engage directly with the wheel K, inasmuch as there would result a rotation of the rakes in the direction opposite to that which they require. In order to obviate such objectionable movement, I lnonnt the wheel L upon the main frame between the driving-pinion G and the spur-wheel K', and thus I have a spur-gear connection for transmitting the power from a carrying and driving wheel having outwardlyprojecting teeth to the raking apparatus.

I am aware that chains and other flexible devices have been used in various ways for driving the rakes of harvesters; but itis well known that such flexible devices are constantly strained and lengthened as they wear, and that the movements ofthe parts which they drive are varied according to such strain and wear.

It is also known that the rake of a harvester should be driven with a movement as even and uniform as possible, and that when driven IOO IOS

IIO

IZO

Io jeetions incident to such construction directly in View; and I have entirely obviated them by applying power from the driving-wheel to the raking apparatus through the shaft G, by which the main frameis pivoted to the quadrant-plate, the spur-pinion Gl on the platform end of said shaft G, the shaft K mounted in the rake-standard on a line parallel to the shaft G, the spur-gear wheel Kl on the platform end of said shaft K, and the spur-Wheel 2o L mounted in the bracket Zou the main frame,

between the .pinion G and the spur-wheel K.

What l claim is- 1. In a seltraking harvester, a grain-platform constructed of paper Without joints in the path of the rakes, as set forth.

2. In aharvester, the combination, substan tially as set forth, of the following elements, where-by the raking mechanism is adjustably connected with the drive-Wheel and is driven thereby With a steady and uniform motion, viz: the single d rive-Wheel H, the main frame A A' A2, the plate l, supported upon the axle of the drive-Wheel, the main driving-shaft G, about which the main fraine is hinged, the rake-driving shaft K, parallel to the main shaft G, spur-pinion G on the inner end of shaft G, spur-Wheel K- on the inner end of the rakedriving shaft K, and the intermediate spur-wheel L.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto setmy hand this 5th day of November, 1879.

' SAMUEL D. BATES. Witnesses:

J. W. ZELLER, M. REESE DILL. 

